17 missing after tourist yacht sinks in Red Sea
Cairo, Nov 25: At least 17 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea, Egyptian officials said Monday. The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, and some were airlifted to receive medical treatment. Hanafy said 31 tourists of various nationalities were on board along with 14 crew. The governorate received a report shortly before dawn Monday of a distress call made from the yacht, which had left Marsa Alam for a five-day journey. (AP)
Indian national charged for molesting women on flight
Singapore, Nov 25: A 73-year-old Indian national was charged in a Singapore court on Monday for allegedly molesting four women while on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from the US to Singapore. Balasubramanian Ramesh is accused of molesting one of the women four times and is said to have targeted the three others once each on the flight on November 18. He was handed seven molestation charges in a district court on Monday, The Straits Times reported. He is expected to plead guilty on December 13, according to the Singapore daily. (AP)
Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkey
Ankara, Nov 25: The engine of a Russian plane with 95 people on board caught fire after landing at Antalya airport in southern Turkey, Turkey’s transportation ministry said. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 type aircraft run by Azimuth Airlines had taken off from Sochi and was carrying 89 passengers and six crew members on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement. The pilot made an emergency call after the aircraft landed at 9:34 p.m. local time, and airport rescue and firefighting crews quickly extinguished the fire, according to the statement. No one was hurt, the statement said. (AP)
England, Wales battle floodwaters
London, Nov 25: Hundreds of homeowners in England and Wales were battling floodwaters Monday morning after the second major storm of the winter brought widespread disruption to the UK. Several rail operators cancelled services as more than 180 flood warnings remained in place after Storm Bert lashed the country with heavy rains and wind gusts up to 80 mph over the weekend. As much as 130 millimetres (5.1 inches) of rain fell in some areas, causing some rivers to overflow their banks and turning roads into waterways. (AP)
UN plastics treaty talks begin in S Korea
Busan, Nov 25: Delegates from 175 nations gathered in South Korea’s second-largest city of Busan on Monday with the aim of securing a deal to curb plastic, but discord over setting regulatory standards lingers. According to delegates the fifth round of international negotiations for a binding plastic regulation agreement kicked off in Busan, but a deal is still elusive. (IANS)
